What do you do when a life-changing opportunity lands in your lap, but it's completely different from what you're working on right now?
This is one of the most confusing situations ambitious people face. You've got your plans mapped out. You're making progress on your goals. Then suddenly, an unexpected opportunity appears that could be incredible for your future, but it means putting your current plans on pause.
The worst part is when you're paralyzed by indecision, you end up doing neither well.
Today, I'm going to share my 3-step framework for evaluating unexpected opportunities without derailing your long-term success.
Let's dive in.
Step 1: Get crystal clear on your core values.
Most people make opportunity decisions based on excitement, fear, or what others think they should do.
But when you don't know your core values, every opportunity feels equally important and equally confusing. You'll find yourself constantly switching directions, chasing whatever seems most exciting in the moment, and never building real momentum toward anything meaningful.
Your values are your decision-making filter.
They help you quickly identify which opportunities align with who you are and where you want to go.
Here's how to identify your values:
•What do you want to be known for?
• What kind of life do you want to live in 10 years?
• What accomplishments would make you feel most proud?
The common themes that emerge are your values.
Write them down. Keep them visible.
If you want to go deeper into discovering your core values and aligning your entire life around them, I've created a simple system that walks you through this exact process step-by-step. It's helped a lot of people get crystal clear on what matters most to them and make decisions fast and confident.
→ you'll find the link at the end of this newsletter.
Step 2: Create longer-term plans that give you flexibility to pivot without losing direction.
The biggest mistake people make is only planning week-to-week or month-to-month.
When you only have short-term plans, every unexpected opportunity feels like it's disrupting your entire life. But when you have a clear 6-month and 1-year plan, you can evaluate opportunities differently.
This doesn't mean your plans can't change.
They absolutely will and should evolve.
But having that longer-term vision gives you a framework for making smart pivots versus reactive decisions.
The key is asking:
→ "Does this opportunity serve my bigger vision, even if it changes my short-term plans?"
Step 3: Prioritize your time based on your values, not on urgency or excitement.
Here's where most people fail: → they let opportunities hijack their priorities instead of fitting opportunities into their priority structure.
Every opportunity, no matter how good, should be evaluated through your priority lens.
The framework is simple:
- First, dedicate time to your core priorities
- Then, if there's additional capacity and the opportunity aligns with your values and long-term plans, you can pursue it.
This might mean saying no to opportunities that seem amazing but don't fit your current priorities.
But successful people aren't successful because they said yes to every opportunity, they're successful because they said yes to the right opportunities and no to everything else.
When you have:
- clear values
- longer-term plans
- priority-based approach to time management
→ unexpected opportunities become exciting possibilities to evaluate rather than overwhelming disruptions to fear.
If you're ready to take this further, here's my complete guide for figuring out your life direction:
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$37.00
Four Quadrants of Life Alignment
This book is an invitation to pause—and to finally ask yourself:
What actually matters to me?
Inside, you’ll explore the... Read more |
